1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method of processing a radio paging message in a wireless communication system. More particularly, the invention relates to a device and a method of notifying a user of a portable terminal of a wireless call signal received in the terminal without unduly interrupting a current operation of the terminal. The present application is based on Korean Application No. 05335/1996, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
A radio call receiver called "a pager" is a device for receiving a simple message and comprises a receiving unit, an alarm section, a display, and a memory.
FIG. 1 exemplifies a pager comprising a digital display, a memory and the like with its detailed construction and operation described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,526. Upon reception of a message signal through an antenna 15, the message signal is decoded in a radio detector and modulator 23 and amplified in an amplifier 24. The amplified message drives a beeper 17 to audibly inform the user of the reception of the message. A display 18 presents the amplified message in a visual form. When the user fails to respond to the incoming message signal after a designated time, the message on the display becomes erased by means of an automatic time delay unit 25, and the message is stored in a memory 26. The stored message (in a character or a numeric form) can be displayed again in response to the user's request.
A portable terminal includes additional functions, e.g. computing functions, in addition to the paging operating described above. Unlike a conventional pager, in a portable terminal, it is not necessary to display a message immediately after the message has been received. With the immediate notification and display, a current operation of the terminal is likely to be interrupted without the user's approval when the message is immediately displayed. The unexpected interruption may confuse a user, causing the user to make a mistake during the current operation. Therefore, it is preferable to avoid such interruptions except in emergency situations.